


The Ladybug, or A Ladybug?

by absolnite



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Animal Transformation, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Crush Reveal, F/M, Identity Reveal, So cheesy even Plagg won't eat it, Surprise Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-25
Packaged: 2018-05-19 20:02:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5979442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/absolnite/pseuds/absolnite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marinette felt her power fading as she grew smaller, and smaller, and smaller...<br/>To the civilians, it looked like she had disappeared. But when Ladybug began to fall, she knew what had happened.<br/>She had become a literal ladybug.</p><p>You've probably heard of Chat Noir or Adrien becoming a cat. But... What if Marinette or Ladybug became a ladybug?</p><p>( first adrienette/ladynoir fic! )</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Transformation

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Cat Goes... Meow?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5361677) by [inuchimera7410 (BaePuppyCat)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BaePuppyCat/pseuds/inuchimera7410). 



> Well... Technically, this isn't my first work on Archive of Our Own- but I deleted my old story.  
> I'm fairly new to the fandom but have already read plenty of Adrienette/LadyNoir because I absolutely love it. The identity reveals one are my favourite.  
> I would like to give thanks to inuchimera7410; they wrote a story of Adiren/Chat Noir becoming a cat, so I decided to turn the tables. Thanks, and please go check them out too.

It seemed like a normal day. There hadn't been any akuma attacks for a while, and to tell the truth, Marinette and Adrien had almost forgot about their duties as superheroes for a little while.

Currently, the entire class was taking notes as Ms. Mendeleiev was writing on the whiteboard- explanations for their newest math chapter.

This went on for a while. Marinette found herself looking away from the whiteboard, no longer paying attention to her notes... And found interest in the back of Adrien's head. She got lost in her thoughts, until Alya nudged her. But Marinette was too late, as Ms. Mendeleiev had just erased all the notes she had missed.

"Alright, folks. Study those notes for tonight, and don't forget about your assignment in Science." She explained just after the bell had rang- everyone gathered up their supplies, and began to exit.

Alya stayed behind with Marinette because the latter had to copy of the other's notes, and they overheard Nino's and Adrien's conversation.

"Hey, you know about that new carnival in town?" Nino asked, watching as Adrien packed up his things. "I think it'd be cool to check it out- they've got one of things that's like a UFO that spins you around so much- it sounds so cool, Adrien."

Adrien laughed in response, and Marinette smiled at the sound. "Yeah, maybe."

"Actually, I heard it was fun there too." Alya butted in. "Maybe the four of us could go together?"

Marinette make a squeak-like noise and jumped up- dropping her textbook on the table. It made a booming noise and the other two turned to her- her face went red and she stammered a quiet: "S-sorry!"

Ayla stood in front of Marinette. "That means she'd like to go too."

Both Adrien and Nino agreed, and they made plans to go there after dinner. Alya, however, left with Marinette as they planned to work on their science assignment together that afternoon.

As the two girls walked home together, Marinette couldn't keep the smile off her face. "Thanks, Alya... If I tried to as if I could go, I'd probably just-"

Alya proceeded to stammer random gibberish in an attempt to mock Marinette- it worked, and they both laughed. "Really, though. I don't think I'm that bad."

"Kind of, girl. You need to work on talking to Adrien." She smiled warmly. "Be more confident- act like you would around me, or something- wait, no. Let me reword that..."

"Just... Be confident." Alya sighed. "Okay, I'm not the best at advice all the time, but you get what I mean, right...?"

Marinette shrugged. "Kind of. It's just that whenever I try being 'myself' around him, I mess up at that too." She stared down at the ground, and kicked a rock away. She was frustrated at herself, but not really sure how to improve her problem.

They soon reached the bakery, and went upstairs. Instantly, the pair went to work. The afternoon passed slowly, which was unfortunate as their work was incredibly boring.

But eventually, they both finished with their work and began to get ready to leave- until Marinette's mother, Sabine, called up: "Marinette! Ayla! There's two young men here to see you!"

Marinette exclaimed in surprise again, thinking instantly. She turned to Ayla, and they both locked eyes. Had Adrien and Nino come here?

They were right. Adrien and Nino both stood awkwardly by the door- Ayla approached, and Marinette remained behind her friend- yet she waved.

"We decided to come early." Adrien explained, waving back to Marinette- whose cheeks went red and she ducked behind Alya again. "So... Are you ready to go?"

"We were just about to leave, actually." Ayla said with a smile, and together, the four left.

Nothing much had happened on the way there, just some brief talk every now and then. Marinette kept glancing over towards Adrien- and the one time he caught her, she went right back to hiding behind Ayla. He wondered why he acted like this just around him...

When they arrived, the smell of popcorn and cotton candy overwhelmed them. Little kids with their parents were running around, and even some groups of other teens- nobody they recognized, however.

Nino instantly went over towards the giant UFO- insisting that they all went on it. Adrien agreed instantly- causing Marinette to go on as well, but it took some convincing from Ayla. "I get really motion sick, Nino..."

"Don't worry, if you get sick you can get sick on me- I don't care-"

Alya sighed again, yet still had a grin on her face as she facepalmed. "Alright, fine."

After the ride, everyone came out fine- except for Ayla, who had to lean on Nino as they came outside.

Adrien pointed towards the funhouse. "How about we go in there?"

They all agreed, and went inside; there were mirrors everywhere that made your reflection look hilarious in different ways. The group was laughing like crazy.

Another group of teenagers all came walked past, heading for the exit. "Man, this place is so lame."

"Agreed." Another said, and the others in the group nodded.

A man who appeared to be some sort of staff member was frowning in their direction- then walked off. Marinette saw this, but passed it off as nothing. Some people just couldn't appreciate a little fun.

They all enjoyed the mirrors a little more- yet the other group hadn't left yet. Then out of nowhere, a crashing noise was heard as mirrors broke somewhere else.

Marinette and Adrien were the first ones to turn around and see. The same man from before had become akumatized; his skin had becoe a light blue and his clothes had turned into mirrors. He began floating rapidly towards the group that had insulted the funhouse. "It took so much time and effort to make all these mirrors, you ungrateful brats!" He yelled.

"Let's get outta here!" Ninno yelled, dragging Alya around with her, who was getting her phone out in case Ladybug appeared.

Marinette and Adrien were about to escape, but the akumatized villain pushed the mirrors down, and they fell like dominoes until the mirros shattered and completely blocked the doorway.

"I am The Reflector!" He yelled. "Now, turn into who you truly are- by looking at your reflection!" The other group of teens were staring at The Reflector in fear- when they gazed upon the mirrors on his body, they slowly began to change shape until they became animals. One was a racoon, another a ferret. Until eventually, they were all animals.

Marinette's eyes widened- she didn't even yell out to Adrien before she was running off- looking for somepalce to transform. She luckily found an area of the funhouse with no mirrors.

"Tikki, spots on!" She yelled. The kwami got absorbed into her miraculous, and Marinette transformed into Ladybug.

Adrien had done the same- found an area that was hidden, then yelled- "Plagg, claws out!" He became Chat Noir.

Both ran back into the area where the Reflector was- he was laughing at the animals as they ran around frantically. Until he saw both superheroes, and Hawkmoth began to speak to him. _"Get their Miraculous!"\_

The Reflector lunged towards Ladybug- she swiftly dodged. She yelled out to Chat Noir- "Don't look into his mirrors!"

"Oh, but you don't realize, little Ladybug..." The Reflector smirked as he floated back up into the air. "I control ALL mirrors!" All of the mirrors inside of the fun house began to shimmer slightly, and the superheroes had to close their eyes.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir had yelled, and tried to touch every single mirror surrounding them- yet because he couldn't see, he didn't shatter all of them.

"How did you even get in here?!" Ladybug yelled, curious.

"I- uh, ripped through the top of the tent." Chat Noir stammered, then as he heard the Reflector coming, swiftly dodged. "I could ask you the same thing!"

"Another time!" Ladybug yelled. she was startled when she heard the loud beep of Chat Noir's Miraculous. How were they going to get out of here?

"Here, hold on!" Chat Noir yelled, holding onto his staff. Then he reached out to Ladybug- he could hear where she was- and while holding her close, his staff extended, and they broke through the roof of the tent.

The Reflector followed after them quickly. "Give me your Miraculous!" He yelled, and lunged for Chat Noir.

He dodged again, glad he could see once more, as long as he didn't look at The Reflector. Yet his miraculous gave another warning beep.

"Get out of here, I'll cover for you!" Ladybug yelled, and Chat Noir did so reluctantly.

"Just me and you then, bug!" The Reflector yelled. Ladybug avoided looking directly at him. She was about to get out her Lucky Charm when she heard the screams of Ayla as she filmed her- "Ladybug, watch out!"

She didn't have anytime to react. The Reflector was right up in her face before she could do anything, and she had glanced at the mirror. Marinette felt her power fading as she grew smaller, and smaller, and smaller...

To the civilians, it looked like she had disappeared. But when Ladybug began to fall, she knew what had happened.

She had become a literal ladybug.

 


	2. Realization

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay here, guys. Thank you SO MUCH for all your kudos, and comment!

She fell towards the ground. Having wings was definitely new- and she had no idea how to work them. Marinette- or, well, Ladybug began to panic as the ground grew closer and closer. Until a familiar voice rang through her head.

_"Your wings are like arms, Marinette! Spread them out!"_

Instantly, she reacted and did so. Her fall became more of a glide- she couldn't quite control where she was going since she kept her new wings still, but managed to land on the ground safely.

She looked down- her vision seemed a little blurred yet somehow similar to her vision as a human. Staring down at her now _six_ legs- the feeling of panic returned.

_"Marinette, calm down. I'm sure we can figure this out."_

Realizing who the voice belonged to, she felt a little reassured. "Tikki? How are you... Talking to me like that?" She spoke these words out loud, but it came out as more of a buzzing sound.

 _"Well, when you transform, I go into your Miraculous... Since your Miraculous is sort of- well, you, really... Uh..."_ A sighing sound was heard. _"Let's just say I got absorbed into your mind."_

"That's weird... But okay." Marinette responded, then looked around. "Where did the Reflector go?!"

_"No idea. I was too busy trying to make sure you didn't hit the ground."_

Marinette tried to frown- then realized that insects really didn't have facial expressions. "Okay... Then let's find Chat. He couldn't have gone that far."

_"And how are you going to find him? You can't control your flight yet, and there's a lot of wind that could blow you away-"_

"I'll manage. I'm pretty small now, but crawling around shouldn't be so hard as long as I watch out for people stepping on me..."

After walking around for a while, and not really getting anywhere, the kwami spoke up. _"I really hope this isn't permanent."_ Tikki said worriedly

"I doubt it. When I purify the villain's akumas, everything goes-" Marinette cut herself off. She couldn't purify any akumas. She was a literal **ladybug**. And Chat Noir couldn't purify akumas... What in the world was she going to do?

Shaking her head slightly, she pretended what she just said didn't happen. "I'm sure we can get through this somehow."

 _"If you say so..."_ Tikki responded. _"Hey, wait! There's Chat!"_

All Tikki could see was what Marinette could see; yet both of them had noticed that unmistakable black blur as Chat sped across the rooftops. He slowed, and stopped on one nearby while looking around wildly- as if trying to find Ladybug.

 _"This is going to require some flying if you want to get his attention!"_ Tikki warned, and Marinette extended her wings. "How do I do this?!"

 _"Uh... Try flapping them really quickly, and... Bend them to change direction...?"_ The kwami seemed unsure, but Marinette followed her directions.

Slowly, but surely, she climbed up in altitude. "Almost... There..."

However, her ladybug luck had worn off. A burst of wind blew- instantly knocking Marinette the the side and much further from the building than she wanted to be. Chat Noir gave up looking in that area, then gracefully began to move on.

 _"Come on, Marinette!"_ Tikki reassured after the wind disappeared, and she regained her balance. _"You can still make it... I think."_

She tried to grit her teeth- then realized she didn't have any. So instead, Marinette made a low buzzing sound that sounded somewhat annoyed, then flew in Chat's direction as best as she could. Soon enough, the latter stopped, and she finally had the chance to catch up. Thankfully, there was no wind this time.

She flew right in front of Chat's face- waving her legs frantically. Chat looked at her curiously, eyes locking on the small insect for a brief moment, before looking away.

 **"CHAT!"** Marinette yelled as loudly as she could, feeling frustrated. **"I'M RIGHT HERE, IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE!"**

The feline's attention was once again taken by the red and black insect whom was buzzing very loudly- which only made him feel more guilty. Ladybug could be anywhere, possibly hurt- because he had to leave. Sure, maybe Plagg was probably feeling drained, but maybe he could have held on long enough for Ladybug to purify the akuma.

"I can't believe this, Tikki. How could he be so naive?" Marinette grumbled, almost giving up but remained floating in front of her partner's face.

_"I'm not sure... Maybe he'll get it if you stay around him. Maybe we could hitch a ride in his hair?"_

Marinette laughed at the ridiculous thought. "I think he'd notice. Maybe the end of his tail?"

_"Alright. Better do that soon, though, he's getting ready to go again-"_

Marinette darted towards Chat's tail- grabbing on to it. She struggled to hold on as the tail blew up and down in the wind, but she persevered.

Eventually, however, Chat stopped. Beeping could be heard coming from his ring. He sighed, then went in another direction.

Marinette's eyes widened- "Tikki, he's going to change back-

 _"I know, can you let go?"_ The kwami responded.

"Not if you want me to fall to my death!" Marinette answered back, the panicked feeling coming back once more.

Chat Noir stopped in front of what Marinette knew was Adrien's house. He climbed up towards a window high in the large house, opened it, and went inside.

"What the heck is Chat Noir doing in here...?" Marinette asked herself, finally able to let go of Chat's tail as she landed on the windowsill. She was about to turn away, but his transformation was too quick.

The black suit and mask all disappeared, and a small kwami appeared. If Marinette wasn't a bug, she would have most shocked- no, _completely astonished_ expression on her face.

In front of her stood none other than Adrien Agreste.


	3. Recognition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy a second update today, everyone. Thanks for all your kind comments and kudos, by the way. <3

"No way. No freaking way. That can't be it- this has got to be some sort of- some sort of prank!" Marinette stammered, trying to not fall out the window.

 _"You do realize what this means, right?"_ Tikki spoke cautiously.

"W-what?" She buzzed, staring at Adrien in awe as he gave his kwami a piece of cheese.

_"That you have a crush on Chat Noir. And Adrien has been **flirting** with you as Chat Noir."_

That fact made her heart stop. If she wasn't a ladybug, her face would be completely red and she'd be a stuttering, nervous mess in front of Adrien. For a few minutes, she remained silent. Tikki let her soak all of this new information in, waiting for her to finally calm down and figure out a way to stop their situation.

What brought her back to reality was when Adrien left the room, leaving his kwami alone on his bed to eat its cheese. "Tikki... Can you talk to his kwami?"

_"No, sorry... Right now, I can only talk to you. But there's gotta be some way you can show Chat- I mean, Adrien, it's you."_

Marinette's gaze shifted to Adrien's computer. Maybe she could somehow type on the keyboard? Flying over stealthily towards his desk to make sure the kwami didn't see her, she landed directly on a key- nothing happened, so she forcefully jumped on it a few times. However, she was way too light and they key didn't even go down the slightest bit. _  
_

"Come on! How am I supposed to do this, Tikki?! If I buzz in his face or something, he'll mistake me for a normal bug..."

 _"I'm not sure, Marinette..."_ Tikki responded. _"Maybe... Try landing on his computer screen?"_

Marinette did so, sticking sideways to the smooth surface. Then suddenly, the screen lit up, startling Marinette and making her fall back down. "It worked! His computer has a touch screen- Tikki, you're a genius!"

_"I guess. But there's a password."_

Marinette groaned, but really it was just a frustrated buzz. "How do I get this?! The keyboard isn't working- oh, wait." He eyes surveyed the screen which looked huge from her tiny eyes. "There's a touchscreen keyboard. But how do I get the password?"

_"Well, you did just get the opportunity to learn a lot more about Adrien, so think about it this way: what would Chat Noir have has his computer password?"_

"Obviously." Marinette attempted to roll her eyes. "His password is probably some cat pun. Or..." She flew up at the screen, laying her body across seven specific letters to form the word "ladybug". After she pressed on the "enter" button, the computer was unlocked. Marinette wasn't sure what to think, but felt proud of herself nonetheless.

She located a drawing program immediately, opened it, and was about to draw something when Adrien came back into the room. His eyes drifted to his computer as he sat down in the chair next to it.

"I don't remember leaving that open..." He reached for the computer mouse and was going to close the program when he saw the ladybug on his screen. Adrien studied the pattern on its wings- two full black dots on each wing, with one dot in the center. He picked up that it was so much like his partner's, but ignored that thought as he smiled a little. "You're the same ladybug from earlier. Same pattern on your wings and everything."

Mariette gazed back. She wanted to keep staring into his eyes- ones that she couldn't stop comparing to Chat's. They were so similar now... How could she have been so blind?

However, she snapped out of it and began to draw as quick as she could- it was difficult to draw on the screen while her body was flipped sideways, but her legs and wings were very helpful. Quickly, she drew a mask that matched her own- hopefully that would be enough to get his attention. Then, she began to outline the words: "Ladybug".

Adrien watched in awe. "Plagg, come here. You have to see this." He said while blankly staring at the insect gliding over his computer screen. The kwami grumbled. "No way, Adrien. Don't disturb me while I'm eating my cheese."

Marinette felt exhausted after moving about so much, but with Tikki's encouragement, she drew "=me" after the previous word.

Then realization hit. Adrien's mouth became wide open.

Marinette flew back down onto the desk, laying on her stomach and staring up at him. She hoped that he got the message and that she wouldn't have to do _that_ again.

"L-Ladybug?!" He asked, and to somehow show confirmation, Marinette yelled at the top of her ladybug voice- **"YES!"**

All that Adrien could hear was a quiet buzz, but that was all he needed. "How did you end up like this?!" He asked frantically, before he realized that, too. "Of course- the Reflector- you looked at him, right?"

Marinette gave another loud buzz. Adrien's expression seemed to get more and more shocked. "You... You..." he wanted to ask if she somehow saw him turn from Chat Noir into Adrien, but if the answer was no, he would give it away anyways. So he went with a more simpler question (even if it was still obvious): "Do you know who Chat Noir is...?" He asked nervously.

Marinette didn't feel like another loud buzz would be enough. So, grumbling, she made the computer screen go blank, and wrote: "You = Chat".

"I..." Adrien mumbled, then put his head in his hands. "Damn it..." Could be heard.

By this point, Plagg had become interested. "What is it, Adrien?" The cat kwami asked, then his eyes drifted to the computer screen, and the insect that was attached to it. And then Plagg burst out laughing. "How the heck can a stupid ladybug know who you are, let alone write it out?! You trying to trick me?" He said between laughing.

"This isn't a joke, Plagg! Ladybug- the superhero, got turned into a literal ladybug..." Adrien answered, frowning as he released his head from his hands. "And she found out."

"Well, I wouldn't believe it." Plagg said while shrugging, heading back to his cheese. "Maybe that ladybug is something Hawkmoth sent to you. You have to make sure it's actually her."

Adrien's frown went deeper, but knew Plagg could be right. "Well... In that case, I can't completely trust you..."

Marinette stared up at him. "Are you kidding me?! This is complete garbage, Tikki, he has to believe it's me! I can't solve this on my own, and especially not as a bug."

_"Think about it, Marinette. Plagg is right. Hawkmoth could be tricky like that."_

"Yeah, well..." Marinette tried to come up with something else to say, but couldn't. After all, he did have a point. But what will they do?

"In that case," Adrien continued. "We need to find a way to bring you back. If you are the real Ladybug, of course."

 


	4. Correction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, sorry if this seems rushed or anything guys. I do like this story, but I have tons of story ideas that I want to put into action, so I'm going to try and wrap it up soon. This will be the second last chapter.
> 
> And thank you SO MUCH for all your comments!

Marinette was upset. Adrien had contemplated ways to get her back to normal all afternoon; by now, her parents would obviously be wondering where she was. But it's not like she could do anything to fix that- even if she managed to fly all the way to the bakery in one piece, how could she tell her parents?

Plagg had remained quiet the entire time. When Adrien asked the kwami for help, Plagg just blurted out a lazy answer and went back to eating cheese.

Tikki had remained quiet for a long time. Marinette figured that she was just thinking, and didn't really believe it would get them anywhere... Until Tikki suddenly yelled into her mind: _"I'VE GOT IT! How could I have not realized?!"_

"What is it, Tikki?" Marinette asked, buzzing a little. That got Adrien's attention as well. 

_"If looking at the Reflector's mirror turns you into who you truly are on the inside- like for example, a ladybug... Shouldn't just looking into his mirror **again** bring you back to normal, since you really are human on the inside now?"_

Marinette smiled- well, at least inside her head. "Tikki, that's a perfect idea! Let me show Adrien-" She gulped, suddenly getting nervous as she kept telling herself not to screw this up. Marinette flew up, drew a stick-man version of the Reflector with a ladybug facing it- then drew an arrow pointing to the superhero Ladybug. Adrien seemed to understand, and his eyes widened. "So... You look at his mirror again? Is that what you're saying?"

Marinette zipped around quickly and drew a check mark, as if to confirm what he said.

"Well, in that case, we have to find the Reflector again..." Adrien frowned. "But how?"

Neither Marinette or Tikki knew how to answer his question. They had no idea where he went; only that he was most likely hiding somewhere, as the news stated that people had stopped turning into animals.

"Just do what you usually do." Plagg spoke up, floating over. "Go on patrol. See if you can find him."

"I guess that's all we can do at the moment." Adrien admitted. He glanced sideways at Marinette. "Uh... Plagg, claws out?" He felt awkward saying so, since she now knew his identity.

To make it better, Marinette turned around- but during his transformation became curious. Watching her crush, Adrien Agreste turn into her partner, Chat Noir, was certainly a strange experience that she felt she would never get used to.

Chat Noir made a move towards the window- but after Marinette made a loud warning buzz, he stopped. "What is it?"

Slowly, she flew over and latched onto his cat ear this time- nestling in the curved and sheltered part of his fake cat ear. She was not interested in latching onto his tail for the ride again- something of which he was unaware of, as well.

Chat smiled and jumped out the window- yet not too roughly as he didn't want her to fall off. Every now and then Marinette crawled around a little to remind him she was there- because if he felt around to check if she hadn't fallen, she might get squished.

Chat leaped from rooftop to rooftop, but nothing really came up. Until Marinette began to feel hungry- so she crawled down to his real ear and buzzed in it; flinching, Chat stopped. "What is it?"

Marinette literally had no idea how to convey what she wanted here- there was no computer here. Buzzing once more, she stopped to think. If she was indeed a ladybug now- would that mean she has to eat like a normal one does? That lead her to think about ladybug diets- she knew that some ate leaves, but didn't they eat other insects too? She couldn't eat human food anyways, and it seemed like she didn't even have an appetite for it.

So she flew downwards after launching herself off of Chat- landing on a tree branch. She crawled to a leaf, and took a miniature bite. It didn't seem _so_ bad. So she continued eating some until she felt satisfied.

Chat watched her from the rooftop- not wanting to lose sight of where his supposed partner was. When she rejoined him on his head, they continued.

Nothing in particular really stood out. Plagg's suggestion didn't seem to be the best one right now- what would they find by just roaming Paris? It was a huge city. What were the odds they could find some sort of clue as to where the Reflector was?

That was until something actually proved useful. Chat was on the edge of a roof when something blinded him- he looked down to see there was something reflecting light from a streetlamp. His eyes widened and he pounced down to see what it was.

Shattered glass, that appeared to be from a mirror.

"He has to be around here somewhere." Chat mumbled, picking it up and studying it. Next to where the mirror was on the ground was a streetlamp- yet dented.

Turning to look around, Marinette noticed an alleyway. She buzzed in his ear, then drifted towards it- he noticed and smiled. "Good ladybug eye. Let's check it out..."

_"Be careful, Marinette... If you manage to turn back into a human, you'll still be transformed."_

"What-" She started, but was cut off by the kwami's explanation. _"Just think about it. If you weren't transformed and you looked into the mirror- I wouldn't be in your mind, would I? I would be separate from you. You can only hear me speaking because you're in your 'true form'. It's complicated, but you at least understand, right?"_

"I-I guess, Tikki, but..." Marinette sighed mentally. "But will my miraculous be almost out of power, like it was when I was transformed?"

 _"I don't know-"_ Tikki started, but stopped. They were right- sitting in the corner of a backroom of a store, was the Reflector- staring at a laptop screen. When he noticed the intruder, his eyes widened- but he appeared even more shocked when he saw the ladybug perked on his head.

"W-welcome, Chat N-Noir and my dear Ladyb-bug..." He stammered while stumbling to stand up, a worried look on his face. The Reflector then began to realize what they were doing, and tried to turn around, but Chat tackled him with his eyes closed, pinning him to the ground. "Look in the mirror, my lady!"

The Reflector struggled even more, especially after hearing Hawkmoth threatening him- but it wasn't any use. Marinette quickly crawled over to get a better view.

She could feel one pair of insect legs disappearing, and the other two stretching into her normal limbs. Her minuscule insect body grew into a larger one- until it gained a human form.

Ladybug was back.

 


	5. Revelation

Ladybug instantly felt exhausted. She could tell that Tikki was just barely holding onto their transformation.

Ladybug stood up; she had fallen down after transforming back. She wobbled a little- glad to have human legs back, but they felt almost numb. She instantly remembered what to do, and shut her eyes closed tight.

The Reflector pushed Chat off of him while the latter was distracted. He moved away quickly- staring at the two of them. "Okay, you got me there. But you can't fight for long, Ladybug." He sneered, but neither of the heroes saw. "And you, Chat Noir... You don't stand that much of a chance in the first place.

"Excuse me?!" Ladybug yelled. "You don't talk about him like that!" She lashed her yo-yo out everywhere- but it hit thin air. The Reflector laughed from further away- Ladybug tried to attack where the noise came from, but he must have dodged. "You can't see me, so I might as well just take your Miraculous for my boss while I'm at it..." He said mischievously.

"Like that'll happen!" Chat Noir said through gritted teeth; then called upon his Cataclysm. Having his hearing improved was a great help, as he could hear where Reflector was. For a moment, his ears twitched, and then Chat lunged.

His claw hit something, alright- and just what he wanted to hit. No, he wouldn't injure the Reflector, as he was just a normal person. The only thing he intended to do was shatter the mirror covering his body- which he succeeded with.

"No!" The Reflector called out, staggering back. Then he recovered. "That doesn't matter! I can still escape!" He laughed manically, lifting his arms into the air. Mirrors rose from the ground and surrounded them. "Just like the fun house all over again..." Chat muttered, frowning deeply.

Ladybug opened her eyes. She heard what had happened and knew it was safe- at least for now. The Reflector appeared in each and every mirror- but it was impossible to tell where his real location was.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug called out, hoping she had at least enough power to finish this off.

This time, the object she received was a flashlight. Ladybug smirked. For once, she knew exactly what to do with it from the start.

Turning it on, she shone the bright and blinding light at the nearest mirror. It reflected all over the place until she heard the Relfector cry out- and knew the light had struck.

Ladybug ran towards the source of the noise, and saw the Reflector covering his eyes, mumbling: "Ow!"

Looking him over, she tried to deduce what could be akumatized. Nothing really stood out- until she saw the white card hanging from the Reflector's outfit. A name tag.

Smirking, she ripped it off his shirt and cracked it half- the akuma was released and tried to fly away.

"No more evildoing for you, little akuma." Ladybug spoke, getting her yoyo ready. Swinging it at the darkened butterfly, she finished purifying it.

Grabbing her flashlight and throwing it up into the air, she called out: "Miraculous Ladybug!" It disappeared in a flash, and covered the area in a red and black light; everything the Reflector had done was now brought back to normal.

As the mirrors descended, Ladybug met eyes with Chat- they smiled when they saw that the man was back to normal. "Pound it!" They spoke simultaneously, and made the motion to pound fists-

However, when Chat's hand met someone else's, she found it wasn't Ladybug's. He looked at the hand in awe- until his emerald eyes travelled upwards, and he saw the shocked face of his classmate.

**Marinette.**

Marinette's hand went back, and covered her mouth instead. Tikki, who was completely exhausted, drifted downwards and landed on Marinette's shoulders.

She watched for Chat's reaction, but none came for a while. So she turned to look at the man from the carnival. Thankfully, he was unconscious, and hadn't seen a thing.

"M-Marinette?!" He said in awe. "You... You're Ladybug?!"

"Um... Yes..." She said softly, heart pounding. She looked away, afraid to meet his shocked eyes.

"What are the chances that- that we both know each other already..." Chat mumbled, and a reassuring smile began to form on his face. "Hey, it's alright, my lady..."

"C-Chat..." Marinette shook her head. "No, Adrien..." She quickly took a deep breath. Speaking to Adrien was a matter she could never really accomplish. However, speaking to Chat... Might be a little easier.

"I-I..." She took another large breath and finally met his eyes. "Meet me at the tower, at our normal time." Turning away, Marinette placed Tikki inside of her bag, and ran off.

 _"Why can't I just... Just talk to him?!"_ She thought, feeling angry at herself. _"Just leaving him there isn't really the best idea..."_

She rushed home. Her parents seemed worried, but she just made the excuse of being at Alya's and not realizing the time, then quickly went upstairs to think about what had happened.

* * *

Later on in the night after Marinette struggled to focus on her homework, she just gave up on the failed project and went to Tikki.

"I'm sorry about earlier. Are you still tired?" She asked the small kwami.

Tikki shook her head "It's fine, and I'm doing great. Did you want to transform to go to the Tower?"

Marinette nodded, not really wanting to say anything else as she felt incredibly nervous. Tikki understood. Together they transformed, and Ladybug flew out into the night.

* * *

It wasn't long until she found herself waiting for him on top of the tower. Her legs dangled over the edge of the tower, but the height wasn't what scared her. IT was the thought he being here with Chat- no, Adrien here. By themselves.

She even tried to persuade herself into somehow confessing to him. But she knew it wouldn't work. Her mind now recognized that Adrien and Chat were the same person; she would most likely have trouble talking to him, even as Ladybug.

He arrived just on time, and almost startled her when he landed on all fours right next to her. "Hello, my lady." Was all he said.

"H-Hi." She said in response, then blinked. How was she going to do this? Originally, she just wanted to discuss their identities more... But now, she didn't know what to do.

Silence followed. Neither were sure what to do now. Until Chat took the opportunity- he sat down normally on the railing, and was surrounded by a light. Adrien replaced him, and Plagg floated upwards.

Ladybug stared at him for a moment, before she did the exact same thing. She became Marinette, and both looked at each other for a few moments.

Tikki saw Plagg and flew over to him- Plagg did the same, yet quicker, until both were hugging each other tightly.

Marinette watched them, smiling a little. Tikki had mentioned knowing Chat Noir's kwami, but didn't say anything else on the matter.

As the two kwamis talked with each other further away, Adrien turned to Marinette. "So... What was it like being a bug?"

She couldn't help but smile in the tense situation. "Pretty weird. But it somehow felt... Natural."

"I guess so." He smiled and continued to look at her- how could he not have noticed? Marinette and Ladybug seemed so similar now. It should have been obvious to him from the start, really...

More silence overcame them. The only sound heard was the whooshing noise of the wind and the quiet chattering of their kwamis.

Marinette took a deep breath, which helped her calm down some more. "This is p-pretty awkward now, huh...?" She said quietly.

"I guess so..." Adrien said in response, brushing some hair out of his face.

"I mean, you were a-always flirting with me as Chat, and-and I-" Her eyes became wider and she stopped herself.

Adrien's cheeks flushed a little. "And you... What?"

Marinette stopped breathing for a moment, then recovered.

It wasn't such a big deal, was it? Telling her crush that she liked him... They had been partners for years, fighting Hawk Moth. How bad could it be?

That was what one part of her mind told her.

The other was completely freaking out.

Adrien could sense her internal debate and watched her in concern. "Marinette? What is it?"

Her mind was in such conflict that she could piece together her thoughts. It wasn't until she blurted out something that she realized she should calm down a little... But it was too late for that.

"And I like you a lot!" She said frantically, then covered her mouth with her hands. _"What have I done?!"_ Her cheeks grew increasingly red.

Adrien blinked, feeling shocked once more today. Yet, confusion settled in. What she just said could have multiple meanings.

"Like... How?" He asked simply.

"I..." Marinette mumbled, putting her increasingly reddening face in her hands. "I've had a crush on you for years..."

He didn't know what to do. Now his mind was in conflict as well; should he comfort her? Ask her why? Do nothing?

Obviously, he didn't take that last option. However, Adrien take the other options either.

He waited for her to stop hiding her face- it seemed so _beautiful_ to him now-

Then he leaned in.

And kissed her.

Marinette's eyes were as wide as ever with shock. She couldn't comprehend what he had done. He was kissing her. _Adrien Agreste was kissing her!_

The boy who was incredibly kind. The boy who always seemed kind of lonely. The boy she loved seeing smile. The boy she constantly gazed at in class. The boy she always daydreamed about. The boy who was Chat Noir, one of Paris's heroes.

_The boy who was kissing her._

They separated, and silence followed. Until she broke it.

"Why?" Was all she asked, her entire face red. He found it extremely adorable.

"Well, you like Adrien. I like Ladybug. Me and Chat Noir are the same person; and you and Ladybug are the same. That means we like each other, Marinette. Isn't that what we're supposed to do?" He tried to sound almost flirty, but it instead came out nervously.

She didn't hesitate to reach over and hug him. Her heart was pounding, but he was right. They like each other.

And nothing was going to change that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHEESE alert! I wasn't quite sure how to end the story, so I hope that's good enough for you all...  
> Thank you so much to everyone who commented, left kudos, bookmarked, and just plain READ the story!  
> Unfortunately, this is the end. I have plans for some more things to put on AO3. Plus, this was originally intended to be just one chapter.  
> But once again- thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!


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